[July 08, 2011] Walker in La Crosse to tout Internet crime task force Tweet Jul 08, 2011 (La Crosse Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Gov. Scott Walker wants the public to know he's committed to protecting children from online predators and holding offenders accountable. But those charged with convicting them want the governor to know they need help. State prosecutors are overworked and understaffed, La Crosse County Deputy District Attorney Brian Barton told the governor Thursday. Assistant prosecutors earn half of what their counterparts do in Minnesota. Turnover is high and morale is low, Barton said. "The bottom line, governor, is we need to fund the front lines of (the Internet Crime Against Children Task Force) and other cases, but we cannot and should not forget the battle isn't over when the predator is arrested," Barton said. "We need more prosecutors, and we need experienced prosecutors." Walker listened intently to Barton, insisting he supports pay increases for prosecutors and will consider them in the future. The discussion deviated from the governor's goal of highlighting funding for 11 more positions at the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which was included as part of his two-year budget. "As great as technology is ... it's also one more way where predators can prey on young people in our state," Walker said during a public safety forum at La Crosse's Southern Bluffs Elementary School. The new investigators can help train local law enforcement, said Ed Wall, administrator of the state's Division of Criminal Investigation. "We're building a network to defeat a network," he said. Cyber crime isn't slowing down. Child pornography cases grew from 250 in 2009 to 480 already this year, Wall said. There were 100 child enticement cases in 2010, up from 11 in 2004. "The Internet is a phenomenal place to go, but it is (also) very dangerous," Wall said. Today there are 169 affiliates of the task force, including the Coulee Region Children's Internet Protection Task Force. Established in 2006, it investigates a variety of online cases, including online harassment and child enticement. "We are constantly working cases," co-founder and Holmen cop Crystal Sedevie said. La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson noted the seriousness of the case against John Jacques, a La Crosse man sent to prison for 15 years after he engaged in sexually graphic online conversations with Sedevie when she was posing as a 13-year-old girl. The Internet is constantly evolving and new dangers develop daily, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said. It's important children learn early about Internet safety from parents and teachers, she added. "This is where it starts," Wall said, looking around the library. Dwindling budgets and staff "is really putting our children at risk," La Crosse School Board President Christine Clair told Walker: "The reality is the first line of defense for our children is our teachers," she said. To see more of the La Crosse Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lacrossetribune.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, La Crosse Tribune, Wis. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]